


My Best Friend

by AcesOfSpade



Series: Ace's Random One-Shot Collection [24]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern: Still Have Powers, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Crushes, Erik is Crushing Harder than a 12-year Old Girl, Fluff, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 12:16:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8445520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcesOfSpade/pseuds/AcesOfSpade
Summary: On your 18th birthday, a mark appears somewhere on your body that leads to your soulmate.
Red for romantic, blue for sexual, purple for both, and black for platonic.
When Erik Lehnsherr finally gets his soulmark, he's in for a bittersweet surprise when he finds it's the same as his best friend's.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I should be working on my other Cherik fic, but oh well. This happened while I was at school, but I finished it afterwards. Enjoy this dorky fluff thing, you dweebs.

On the day you turn 18, a mark appears on your skin. There are four colours your mark could be, symbolizing the different type of soulmate you have. Red for romantic, blue for sexual, purple for romantic and sexual, and black for platonic. Your mark matches with your soulmate, or soulmates in some cases, and is unique only to you and that person/those people. It takes some people years after their mark appears to find their soulmates. Some of them, the lucky few, found their soulmates before they got their mark. Those people are considered blessed, the people given the chance to properly fall in love before they realized.

 

Erik Lehnsherr was one of those people, but he didn’t feel blessed. When he awoke on his 18th birthday to see his purple soulmark above his heart, the colour drained from his face and a small noise escaped his lips. Why, you ask, did he react in such a way? It’s simple, really. He had the exact same mark as his best friend. His _male_ best friend. Now, Erik had known for quite some time that he was bisexual. However, he wasn’t sure about his best friend, nor did he want to bring it up. At least he could cover up his mark at school so nobody would see it. His best friend, meanwhile, had his on the back of his right hand, out there for anyone to see.

 

The soulmark itself was wholly unremarkable. Deep purple in colour, the design was a simple ‘X’ inside a circle. What it meant, Erik wasn’t sure yet, but he knew it would be important some day.

 

On his way to school that morning, Erik’s hand kept twitching, wanting to reach up to his soulmark and touch it. Why was he cursed like this? He’d fallen in love with his best friend long ago, but he’d resigned himself to it being one-sided and impossible. His best friend’s soulmate was supposed to be a sweet girl who would be perfect for him, not Erik. Erik was his polar opposite in many respects, and he was broken beyond repair. Why would he be desirable to someone as bright and wonderful as Charles Xavier?

 

When Erik finally got to school, he scurried off the bus and headed for his locker before he ran into Charles. He didn’t trust himself around Charles at that point, fearing he would ruin their friendship by telling him about the soulmark on his chest. As soon as he closed his locker door, the bell rang that meant he had to get to his homeroom. Sighing, he headed up to biology, textbooks in arm. His homeroom happened to be the same as Charles’, and they sat at the same lab bench. Fuck.

 

Throughout the entire class, Erik did his best to not talk to Charles unless he had to for the experiment. Charles knew something was wrong, but he didn’t press. He knew it was Erik’s 18th birthday, so maybe he was anxious about his soulmark. He knew Erik wasn’t a fan of the idea of soulmates, so the fact that he now knew he was bound to love somebody must have been overwhelming.

 

The end of class saw Charles and Erik parting ways with a promise to meet in the cafeteria at lunch. Erik returned to his locker to switch out his textbooks for his flute, heading for the music room down the hall.

 

After music was lunch, so Erik grabbed his wallet and headed for the cafeteria. He stood in line to get a few slices of pizza, weaving through the crowds to his and Charles’ usual table in the corner. Charles was already there, and so were Hank and Alex. The three of them were all in their usual spots, Alex presumably texting his younger brother just to annoy him. Hank was studying a textbook, probably chemistry, and Charles was eating his sandwich. Ham and swiss, probably. That was what he always had.

 

Flopping down in his own chair next to Charles, Erik picked up a slice of pizza and took a bite. Just as he did, Alex kicked his shin under the table and grinned when Erik looked up.

 

“Happy birthday, Magneto,” he said teasingly. Magneto was a nickname Alex had given him back in freshman year when his powers manifested, and it lived on teasingly since.

 

Erik glared good-naturedly at Alex, rolling his eyes. “Thanks, _Havok_ ,” he shot back, smirking. Alex stuck his tongue out and Erik and went back to texting Scott.

 

Everything was normal after that, at least as normal as things can be for four mutant seniors in a human high school. Erik shoved the thought of his soulmark to the back of his mind, ignoring the tingling sensation he felt right where it was whenever he was within arm’s reach of Charles. That part was maddening, as was the ever-present urge to reach over and take Charles’ hand in his own and squeeze it.

 

Erik managed to ignore it all for a month, right up until the week before graduation. Charles had invited Erik, Alex, and Hank over to his family’s home in Westchester for a celebration. As much as Erik felt awkward around Kurt Marko, he wanted to go to be with his friends, and be close to Charles.

 

As always, Erik arrived a half hour early. Despite the heat, he was wearing dark jeans and a black turtleneck like he always did, though he had a backpack draped over his shoulder containing swim trunks and a towel. Any sort of celebration at Charles’ eventually lead them to the lake behind the Xavier mansion, and as much as Erik didn’t want Charles to see his mark, he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity for a much-needed swim.

 

Before Erik could even knock on the door, it swung open to reveal a grinning Charles, dressed as impeccably as always. He wore tailored black slacks, a light blue button-up shirt, and a pale tan sweater vest that highlighted the less lanky pants of his frame. It took everything Erik had not to stare, and he thought he succeeded.

 

“Erik!” Charles beamed. “Early as always.”

 

“Of course I am,” Erik nodded with a fond smile. “Mama always says it’s better to be a half hour early than a half hour late.”

 

Charles chuckled softly, gesturing for Erik to come in. The metal bender stepped inside, immediately toeing off his shoes on the mat. Charles’ mother insisted they take their shoes off, not wanting mud or anything tracked through the house. Once his shoes were off, Charles took him by the wrist and gently pulled him towards Charles’ bedroom upstairs, grinning the entire time. Erik could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, but he tried to fight it. Charles was a hands-on person, he was like this with everyone. At least, that’s what Erik told himself.

 

When they reached Charles’ bedroom, the brunette turned the knob without dropping Erik’s wrist and tugged him inside. Once inside, Charles closed the door and made Erik sit on the bed.

 

Erik sat on the bed with a confused tilt of his head, though he didn’t say anything. As soon as he sat down, Charles went to his dresser and grabbed something from the top of it, returning to Erik. When he turned around, Erik noticed that the thing he grabbed was a small box with a ribbon tied around it. The ribbon was a silver colour, which the box was a simple white.

 

Charles sat on the bed next to Erik, handing him the box with an expectant look. Erik took the box with a quizzical look, untying the ribbon carefully. Sliding the lid off the box, Erik felt a smile spreading across his face at the contents.

 

Carefully, he took the picture frame out of the box, admiring the picture it held. It was a picture of Charles and Erik on their first day of high school, standing and looking awkward next to each other. Charles was so much smaller than he was now, and Erik wasn’t much bigger. The braces on Charles’ teeth were visible through his wide smile, and Erik’s old glasses were crooked on his face as he grinned alongside his friend. They’re arms were around each other’s shoulders as they beamed at the camera, which was held by Charles’ mother Sharon, looking so much more innocent and adorable. The frame itself was simple dark wood, their names engraved along the top and bottom in neat cursive and filled in with silver paint.

 

Erik felt heat pooling in his chest, a raw affection beating in his heart. It was such a sentimental thing to do, and oh so very Charles. A small laugh passed Erik’s lips, his gaze turning to Charles.

 

“You’re so sentimental,” he teased, bumping his shoulder against Charles’.

 

“I know I am,” Charles chuckled, doing the same thing to Erik. Both soon dissolved into laughter, falling backwards on Charles’ bed. They’d been best friends since the sixth grade, and despite Erik’s massive crush and their status as soulmates, nothing was awkward between them. They’d been through too much together for things to be awkward.

 

As their laughter died down, Sharon Xavier called up saying that Alex and Hank had arrived. Leaving the picture frame on Charles’ nightstand, the two made their way downstairs to greet their friends.

 

It took an hour of video games in the rec room before they ended up out by the lake. It started with skipping stones, seeing who could throw the farthest, while they shared high school horror stories. After Hank told one about accidentally getting his hair dyed blue in chemistry class, Alex suggested they go for a swim. Everyone agreed, heading back into the house for their swim trunks. Alex and Hank had brought their own like Erik had, anticipating this eventuality.

 

Erik had contemplated whether or not to keep his shirt on when he made it back outside, wanting to hide the mark on his chest. However, when he made it back to the edge of the lake, he decided to just take it off. He was graduating high school in a week. He could grow a pair and show Charles his mark.

 

He waited for Charles to get outside, kicking his feet in the water as he waited. Once Charles approached the lake, Erik took a deep breath as he tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Charles watched silently, trying to act as if he wasn’t transfixed by the sight of Erik shirtless. When he saw a sliver of purple on Erik’s chest, right near his heart, he perked up slightly. He’d never seen Erik’s mark, and Erik never talked about it. Now he had the chance to see it, and he was going to take it.

 

Sitting down next to Erik, Charles stuck his feet in the lake and turned to face Erik. His eyes drifted down to Erik’s chest, and when they saw the mark, his eyes widened. His left hand reflexively moved to cover the back of his right hand, a swell of hope rising in his chest. He thought his crush on Erik wouldn’t lead anywhere, that they’d meet their soulmates in college and settled down to start families of their own. Seeing that same mark he had on his hand displayed on Erik’s chest made him feel like a teenage girl, all fluttery and nervous around his crush.

 

Erik finally looked over to Charles, who was staring at his soulmark. A blush rose in his cheeks, a flutter settling itself in his chest.

 

The two finally locked eyes, bright blue on steel gray, and nothing needed to be said, partly due to the fact that Charles was a telepath. The two leaned in at the same time, lips meeting in a somewhat awkward kiss. They kept bumping noses, and both were too hesitant to do much because neither was sure if this was real or not.

 

It finally felt real when they heard a whistle come from behind them, jerking away from each other with matching crimson blushes. Alex and Hank were standing a few feet away, Alex clapping teasingly.

 

“Finally,” Alex teased. “God, I thought it’d take you forever. That’s why I gave you a little nudge.”

 

“I told him it was a bad idea,” Hank offered. “He didn’t listen, obviously.”

 

“But how’d you know? I’ve never shown anyone this,” Erik frowned, gesturing to the purple ‘X’ on his chest.

 

“It’s not rocket science, dear Magneto,” Alex mused. “Your 18th birthday, all you did was avoid Charles. You would turn red whenever he came near you, and at one point you _squeaked_. The last month as been torture, buddy, actual torture watching you dance around Charles like a ballerina. And besides, you to have had it bad for each other since before we met. It needed to happen eventually.”

 

Charles and Erik were both crimson red as Alex spoke. When Alex noticed how red they were, he just laughed, shaking his head fondly. He walked up behind them, placing a hand on each of their backs and shoving them into the water. Charles let out a shriek of surprise, while Erik splashed water at Alex.

 

“Idiot,” Erik muttered, making his way over to Charles out of habit.

 

“I know,” Alex grinned before walking off, tugging Hank with him so Erik and Charles were along again.

 

Once Alex was gone, Charles turned to face Erik, his eyes once again meeting the other mutant’s.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked quietly, but there was no anger in his voice.

 

“I was worried,” Erik admitted softly. “I was worried you wouldn’t want me. I’m not the best person to be paired off with.”

 

“Erik, my friend, you are the best person for me,” Charles told him, moving closer so he could rest a hand on Erik’s jaw.

 

“Me? Why?” Erik frowned, not convinced. “I’m all bent out of shape, almost broken. Why would I be the best person for you?”

 

“Because you are amazing,” Charles said firmly. “You may be bent out of shape, but you are not yet broken. You are strong enough to not let yourself break. Despite everything you’ve been through, you see the positive outcome of many situations. And above all else, you have been my best friend for six years. Is there anything else I need besides my best friend?” he asked rhetorically, a small smile forming on his face.

 

Erik leaned forward, resting his forehead against Charles’. “I don’t deserve you,” he muttered softly. “You are a star, a beacon of light. I am a black hole, destined to destroy all things.”

 

“Erik, you are what you want yourself to be,” Charles told him, hand still cradling his jaw. “Your destructive mutation does not define you, nor do your accidental outbursts of said destructive mutation. You can do what you want with your life, you could even be a hero if you wanted to.”

 

Erik was struck silent, too overcome with emotion to speak. Instead, he closed the tiny gap between them and kissed Charles again, this time properly, for he knew it was real. There was no way this couldn’t be real.

 

Charles kissed back, using the hand he had on Erik’s face to tilt his head to a better angle. Erik’s arms circled Charles’ waist, while Charles’ other hand laid flat on Erik’s chest, right on top of his soulmark.

 

When the kiss broke, neither made a move to get out of each other’s personal space. They just stood in the lake, water lapping gently at their waists, just savouring the closeness and emotions. They fell silent for a while, until Erik spoke up.

 

“I love you,” he muttered softly, eyes opening to gaze into Charles’.

 

A smile spread across Charles’ face as he heard Erik speak, his own eyes opening. “I love you too,” he replied just as softly.


End file.
